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Friday, November 05, 2010

Noncompliant jails

A few tidbits from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS):

TCJS has posted online a list of Texas county jails which inspectors found to be out of compliance with minimum state standards, including pdf documents identifying areas of noncompliance. None of the largest counties are currently on the list, but several second-tier jails from Brownsville to Amarillo failed to make the grade.

Here's TCJS' most recent newsletter, for those interested. A chart included in the newsletter indicates that 36% of all complaints from jail inmates statewide relate to medical services, which is three times the number of the next largest source of complaints (sanitation).

Overall, according to the aggregated county jail population report, Texas jails are operating at a combined 74.35% of capacity. Just 9.6% of Texas' 72,076 jail inmates as of October 1 were actually serving a sentence as a result of a criminal conviction. By contrast, 54% of Texas jail inmates are incarcerated awaiting trial.

According to this TCJS document, counties are presently in the process of collectively planning or building 2,812 new jail beds, most of which are scheduled to be online by sometime in 2011. That represents expanded capacity of 2.9% overall.

I wouldn't pay much attention to this list. I figured out a while back that they hire blind inspectors. I find it interesting that Wood County is on the list because of a couple of paperwork issues but Smith County, which is infested with rats, and has all kinds of other issues relating to poor maintenance over the years, is not on the list.

And yet Hardemann County is not on this list. I have personal experience with an inmate who was threatened with hanging by a deputy. The same man was denied medical care for a life-threatening illness and thereby forced to accept a draconian plea bargain.

My husband is in Wayne Scott and that prison is falling apart, the food is so unbelievably bad! I have contacted the health dept, state rep, and everyone else I can think of to contact. My husband has become sick from eating their meals. His food card has only been punched a few times this month. On Sunday he bit into a roach inside his oatmeal. I have seen mice in the visitation room, roaches and the flies are so unbelievably bad there! Yet they "painted and prettied up" that place for accreditation to pass them, but the inspectors were not allowed inside where the inmates were kept. My husband told me when it rains, all of the roofs leak, alot of the windows are rusted out so all kinds of vermin can come in. He said part of a ceiling fell on an inmate-- there are some places where the guards are supposed to go, that they will not step foot in, because there are open sewers and it smells terrible! But yet year after year, this place gets passed? The conditions in this place would make you puke! When is someone going to do something about this? When are they going to let the light offenders go? Oh, and the health care is now done by video!

think if i was your husband in that hell hole of a prison i'd be doing anything to leave upto and including killing to get out. Since it's not LEGAL since no govt installation with conditions like that comes even CLOSE to being operated LEGALLY.

Rodsmith, I am trying to do everything I can to get him out, but no one wants to listen to me. If he was out, he would be working a $100K job, and be an active and productive member of society, instead of 'moldering' in that HORRIBLE place! Yeah everything they are doing at that unit is illegal, but TDCJ can do NO wrong in Texas' eyes! Help!

Anonymous- I'd love to share some of the battles I've had with TDCJ. It might help you. . I have been battling TDCJ and UTMB over health care and other issues for a year now, with some success. TDCJ is eaten up with the arrogance of power.UTMB is just rife with in competence. The key to getting their attention is to make them know that outside eyes are on them! They hate that. But once you get some outside attention on them, they get much more cooperative.

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